Dear Doc,
First of all I would like to thank you for offering us such a forum that we can get our questions answered.
I had several protected vaginal sexes with CSW (they offered the condoms) on my trip in China, some were late last December and the other two were on 01/06/2008 (I am not sure if the condom was broken this time) and on 01/17/2008. On the 18th of January, I developed a cough (no any other symptoms) and recovered in approximately 2 weeks.
Starting from 02/23/2008 (the 37th day after last exposure), I started coughing with productive thick yellow snot, runny nose, sore throat. However there was no fever until yesterday (the 44th day after last exposure). My temperature went up yesterday, 99F, 100F, 101F, until at midnight 102.8F. I drank a lot of hot water to produce sweats that the temperature went down to 100.5F. My day time temperature now is 101.5F. Starting from yesterday, my muscle was painful. This symptom also passed to my wife and other people. Counting my wife’s exposure time, she has the symptom (identical to mine) was on her 51st day after her exposure with me.
I had two HIV tests so far. HIV quick test (my 25th day of my last exposure) was negative. HIV ½ stat/pak test at 30th day of my last exposure was negative.
Here are my questions:
1) Is the ARS symptom infection? In another word, is it possible for one with ARS symptom flu to pass to others (flu only)? I think that I had the other four infected with the symptoms as mine.
2) Considering my symptom with congestions chest, thick yellow snot, runny nose and high temperature, do you think if they are ARS symptoms?
3) How long does the symptom occur after exposure?
4) What is stat/pak versus generic HIV test?
Thank you!